Why can't I login graphically? : Going over quota

Owned by Marc Miller
Last updated: May 17, 2023
3 min read

Issue

When you try to log onto a Linux Machine, you get an error message saying "Could not Update ICEauthority" and it won't let you on.

or

When you are able to login via terminal but not graphically or via more complicated programs such as vscode

Reason

This is due to your account hitting either a Space or File Count quota limit.

When you reach either a space or file count limit, the system will no longer be able to create new files, one of which is needed for the Linux Graphical Login.

Most users in the College are given 6 GB of disk space and about 100k file count with their account.

If you are a student you can request an increase with written (email) permission from your instructor.

For projects related to a class, we can also create 'scratch' space.

For more information please contact help@engineering.ucsb.edu.

It is the user’s responsibility to monitor and manage disk usage and keep it under quota.

ECI does not proactively email users about quota, any emails claiming you are over quota are phishing and can be deleted.

How to get under quota

Finding and removing excess files.

If you happen to go over your quota, you will be unable to log in graphically to any Unix computer.

You can, however, still log in remotely through SSH or through the "failsafe" login when sitting at the computer.

In order to get to a non-graphical login screen, just hold CTRL-ALT and any one of the function keys F3-F6.

Once you have followed the steps below and wish to re-attempt a graphical login, simply hold CTRL-ALT and either F1, F2 or F7 to return to the graphical login screen. 

One way to help with quota issues is clearing out the .cache and .ccache folders.

This can be done using the following command:

clearcache

The default behavior for most browsers is to save cached versions of all websites you visit.

It is possible to go into a browsers settings and set cache and history to be automatically deleted after a set time.

Items in trash continue to count towards your quota until you empty the trash folder.

Finding Out if You Are Over Quota

For Linux or Unix machines, you can view your current disk usage and quota by executing the following command:

quota -v


You should see output similar to this:

Disk quotas for user test_user (uid 65331): 
 Filesystem blocks quota limit grace files quota limit grace 
 /filesys 140732 200000 210000 4362 20000 21000

There are two resources limited by our quota systems: disk space and number of files.

Disk space used is listed under "blocks," with the corresponding limits listed after it under "quota" and "limit."

To translate blocks to Mb, add the -s flag to the quota command.

Your number of files used is listed under "files," with the quota also following.

If either your disk space or number of files used is greater than the "quota" (soft limit) or "limit" (hard limit) you should attempt reduce your resource usage.

This is often indicated with a '*' next to the number if you have exceeded one of the two quotas.

Determining Your Current Disk Space Usage


When in your home in directory, use the command in a Terminal Window:

top10

to see a list of your 10 largest files or directories (biggest displayed first).

This command also works from within sub-directories allowing you to get a finer-grain view of usage.

You can judge which are good candidates to delete or compress.

You can manually check the size of a specific directory by using the du command, while the -sh flag puts size in a human readable format.

du -sh example_directory

It is also possible to use the find command to recursively check how many files are in a folder and all its sub-folders.

find example_directory -type f | wc -l

Removing/Archiving Files and Directories

When near or over quota, look for your cache (or temporary files) in your web browser.

These unneeded and space gobbling cache (or temporary) files are often the worst offenders.

They can best be deleted from within your browser program or you can use the following command in a Terminal Window:

clearcache

Delete any core dump files when you are finished analyzing them.

Your user interface can also produce extraneous cache files.

They are located in the hidden subdirectories, .kde/share, .gnome/share.

You can examine all of your hidden files, when in your login directory, with the command: 

ls -la | more

Compress/Archiving

You can also combine multiple files into one (archive) and compress large files to reduce your file and space usage.

tar

The "tar" program takes many files and turns them into one.

To learn more about it type "man tar."

gzip

The "gzip" program is used to compress files in size.

Type "man gzip" to learn more about it. Also there are many tutorials available on the web, google "tar gzip" to find some.

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